A La Carte
by Laurie Whitlock
Summary: Emmett and Bella have known each other since childhood. While in college, they got into a big fight and broke up. Now Bella is looking for work as a chef and is sent to the home of the biggest up and comer in business today. What will happen when Bella sees whose house she is at? Written for Nicia VA-ff
1. Chapter 1

**FAGEtastic Four**  
**Title: A La Carte **  
**Written for: ** **Nicia VA-ff**  
**Written By: Laurie Whitlock**  
**Rating: M **  
**Prompt use: ****Kids fall in love, fall out of love and then fall in love again when older. **  
**Summary: Emmett and Bella have known each other since childhood. While in college, they got into a big fight and broke up. Now Bella is looking for work as a chef and is sent to the home of the biggest up and comer in business today. What will happen when Bella sees whose house she is at?**  
**If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this exchange visit the facebook group: ** **Fanficaholics Anon: Where Obsession Never Sleeps or add the C2 to get all the stories direct to your inbox.**  
** community/Fagetastic_Four/98339/**

I was exhausted, I was grimy and I felt like a zombie but I was happy to finally be back in America. I had just graduated top of my class from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and now I had to start looking for a job. Some of my classmates thought I was going to stay in Paris to work but even though I enjoyed living in Paris, I missed home, and my mom and my dad. I also missed my friends that I've had since childhood.

Just as I walked into the seating area of Sea Tac airport, I heard my name being squealed and then something slammed into me; I stumbled a bit but was able to remain standing. I chuckled because I had known that she was going to be here, waiting for me. Alice was one of my oldest best friends; I'd known her since kindergarten. She finally let me go and stepped back to look at me.

"You're pale, are you sick?" Alice asked in one breath

"Well, hello Ali," I replied

"I've missed you, Bella"

"And I you."

"Now really, are you sick?" she asked with a perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised.

"No, Ali, just tired and in need of a hot shower," I replied, stifling a yawn.

"Well, come on then, Jasper's already gone to get your luggage"

I smiled at her and she linked her arm through mine. We walked over to the luggage carousel where Ali's very handsome boyfriend was standing looking at all the luggage waiting for mine.

"Hey, Jazz," I called out to him.

He turned and smirked at me and said, "Hey Bells welcome home. Glad to see that I'm not the only one with an accent now"

I laughed with him and gave him a hug. Once all of my luggage was gathered, we piled it up on a trolley and then walked out to Jazz's truck. When all of the bags were in the bed, I climbed into the truck; I was in the middle of Jazz and Ali, and we drove to their house. I was going to be living with them till I either found a place of my own or got a job as a live-in cook.

As soon as we got to their house, I went up to what was designated as my room and threw some of my stuff on the bed, while Jazz got the rest of my stuff. I walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower as hot as it would go and stripped out of my clothes while the mirrors steamed up. I added some cold water, got in and sighed in relief. The water helped to ease my tense muscles from the long flight and an hour later I got out feeling fresher. I got dressed yawning through the whole process, and then dragged myself downstairs to get something to eat even though I would have rather collapsed on the bed and slept till next week.

I was glad that Ali had some simple food set out for us to eat because I didn't think that I could eat anything big. Ali was a good cook as well but her first love was in fashion so she went to Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise in Los Angeles and graduated, top of her class with a job already lined up for her. I sat down beside Jazz who was like a big brother to me, and ate while we chatted a little. I was starting to get drowsy, and when my head fell onto Jazz's shoulder they told me to get some sleep. I agreed and after saying goodnight to Jazz and Ali, I went up to the guest room, crawled into bed and was out in no time.

The next morning, I groaned when I saw the sun streaming into my room because I was in no way ready to get up but I knew that I had to. I rolled out of bed and after getting my clothes out; I went to get a shower. After dressing I went downstairs and found out that I was alone. There was a note in the kitchen written in Ali's handwriting demanding that I eat the breakfast she left in the fridge for me and that she and Jazz would see me tonight after work. I smiled at her letter because that was typical Alice; always wanting to make sure she took care of the people that she loved. I did as she instructed and went to the fridge to get the food.

Once I was finished with my breakfast, I went to grab my laptop and started surfing the web for jobs. I sent off some emails to my friends to let them know that I was back in town and that I was looking for a job; I asked them to let me know if they knew of anything. There were some ads looking for a chef, which I was glad about; I was able to set up an interview with a few potential employers.

Once that was done, I knew that it was time to call my parents. I decided to call dad first because mom would have droned on and on and probably taken up the whole day. I was pleased to find that, as always in the small town of Forks, Washington- where I grew up- nothing was going on and that I was able to talk to Charlie, my dad. He was pleased to hear that I had arrived home safe. He asked if I was going to come for a visit soon and I told him that I would try. He promised that he would keep an ear open in case someone told him in passing that they were looking for a chef. I thanked him and then promised that I would call him again in a couple of days.

I then called Renee, my mom, and true to my previous thought, she talked and talked; turns out that she didn't have to work today, and all I had to do was make sounds every once in awhile. I could see the sun setting and I told mom that I had to go; she wasn't happy because she had more to talk about but I promised that I would call her again in a couple of days. Once I was off the phone, I decided that I would make dinner for Ali and Jazz; I went to the kitchen to see what they had and began pulling out ingredients to start dinner.

Just as I finished making dinner Jazz walked in first. He came over to me, placed a kiss on my cheek and thanked me for making dinner. I told him to think nothing of it and to go and get cleaned up. He smirked and walked out of the kitchen.

A few minutes later Ali bounded into the kitchen and clapped her hands when she saw what I was making for dinner. I chuckled at her reaction and told her the same thing that I told Jazz; she pouted but did as I said.

I had everything plated and on the table by the time they both got back. We sat down and began to eat. Jazz moaned and said, "Bells, are you sure you just don't want to work for us?"

I laughed and said, "Sorry Jazz, no can do, but y'all know that I'll always cook for you both."

Ali beamed at me and we went back to eating. Once everyone was done, I brought out the desert and we took it into the living room to eat while trying to find something on. I kept seeing Ali glance at me from the corner of my eye and I knew that she was up to something, I sighed and said, "What, Ali?"

"I was wondering if you would like to have a little welcome home party."

"You're asking instead of just planning it?"

"Well... um..."

"Let me guess," I said cutting her off, "You've already talked to our friends and are just trying to get my opinion on it," I finished with a raised eyebrow.

Ali just laughed and I knew that was my answer. I told her that it was fine by me and asked when this was all going to happen. She told me that it was going to be this weekend and that it was just going to be our close friends.

"Do you want me to cook?" I asked them both.

"If you want but nothing too big, just finger foods and whatnot," Ali replied.

"Ok," was my simple response.

I tried to focus on the movie that we settled on but my mind kept running around with all the ideas I had of food that I wanted to make for the party. I got up from my spot on the couch and went in search of a pen and paper to start writing it all down. Ali and Jazz were asking me what was wrong but I had tunnel vision and could only focus on writing out the menu. I had four different sandwiches, couple of salads, desserts and drinks but I had a feeling that the guys wouldn't be happy with this so I decided that what was needed was stuff to throw on the b.b.q., I screwed up the paper that I had been writing on and started the list again on a new piece of paper

Before long, I had a revised list of food that I know both the guys and the girls would enjoy. I looked over the list once again and then walked out to where Ali and Jazz were and showed them the list. After gathering their approval, I sat down to watch the rest of the movie but before I knew it I was drifting off to sleep. I could feel myself being picked up at one point; I knew that I was in Jazz's arms. . I felt the softness of the mattress and a soft kiss being placed on my forehead. I fell back asleep instantly after saying goodnight to him.

The next couple of days were spent making sure that everything was ready for the party as well as still looking for a job. I went to my interviews but I'd yet to hear anything back from them. I made the salads the night before the party as well as putting rubs on some of the meat. The next morning Ali and I cleaned the house while Jasper made sure that we had enough food and enough drinks. He then went to make sure that we had a good selection of music and cleaned the pool. By the afternoon, the house and the pool were clean and the first set of people had started to arrive. I put Jasper in charge of the grill seeing as how everyone wanted to talk with me.

Soon, the party was in full swing and everyone was having a great time and kept complimenting me on the food. As the party wore on, the drunker we all got, and the louder we got. When the sun started to set, Jazz lit a fire in the fire pit and we all sat around it, still drinking, talking about when we were all kids and eating S'mores. I knew that we were going to have a packed house because there was no way anyone was going to drive, what with all the drinking going on. I walked into the house so that I could check to make sure that we had enough food for breakfast in the morning.

As I was in the kitchen I heard the voices of Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory, two women who I didn't like and they didn't like me. They must not have known that I was nearby because they were talking about a subject that no one talked about anymore around me; Emmett McCarthy. While Alice had been my best friend, Emmett understood my reserved persona.

I loved his fun loving, joking attitude and he loved my quiet nature and love of reading. We always hung out together and when we were old enough, we started to date. I was so in love with him and I thought that we would be together for the rest of our lives but while in collage we got into a huge fight and I stormed out of his house. Not long after, I took off for France and we hadn't seen or talked to each other since. Soon Jessica and Lauren left and I let out a sigh. It still hurt to hear about Em after all these years. From what I could gather from their slurred speech, he was doing well in his business, and I was glad that things seemed to be going well for him. I shook my head and went back to what I was doing, though my brain wanted to think about the happy times that I had with Em.

When I went back outside, Jazz turned to me and asked me to tell them a story from my time in Paris; I smiled and tried to think of a good one. I then launched into what I did in the mornings before I went off to the school.

~Flashback~

It was my third week in Paris and I was in love with everything. The city was amazing; I loved getting up early and seeing all of the venders setting up their stalls for the day. Some of the men and woman greeted me and sometimes I would get a free muffin fresh from the oven or a beautiful flower. I stopped to talk with others, glad that I was good in French when I was in high school. One of my favorite vendors to talk to was a little old lady that had been selling cheese for almost fifty years. It was a family business and when her husband was alive, he would work with her at the stall. She would tell me all kinds of stories about how handsome he was and how brave that he was when he went off to fight in the war. She told me that he came back a changed man from the war, but his love for her never faded and everyday he would kiss her good morning and told her how beautiful she looked, even if she had just gotten out of bed. I would always smile and ask her questions, which she answered greatly and with so many details.

~end flashback~

Everyone wanted to know more about the lady but I told them that they would have to wait till I was sober to hear her stories because I wouldn't want to screw them up. They agreed and then we went back to talking about other things, slowly one by one everyone started to stumble into the house and collapse anywhere that they could to sleep off their drunken state.

A couple of weeks after the party, I was still jobless. Jazz and Ali were great, they didn't mind that I wasn't able to help out with the rent or grocery buying. I had promised them that as soon as I got a job I would start to help them out, and they had told me not to worry about it. I was in the kitchen getting a head start on dinner and wondering if it was time to start looking for a job outside of being a chef when the phone rang. It was one of my old classmates, Jay from Paris who came back to the States after he had graduated. He told me that he heard of a job opening for a live- in chef at some big shot business man's house and he thought of me, because he already had a job lined up for himself at a top restaurant in town. Jay gave me all the information that I needed, and I thanked him for thinking for me. After hanging up with him, I called the number and set up an interview.

A/N: So this is my first Emmett and Bella story. What do you all think? *waves* until next time


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I still own nothing just the plot. Pre-readers: Sarah Overby and Linara Leni Philipps. Beta by:

BPOV

I was standing in my room in a pair of shorts and a tee looking at my closet trying to figure out what to wear to my interview. I knew that my clothes were not the thing that was going to be judged today, my food was, but I still wanted to look nice. I was lucky that I still had an hour and a half till I needed to be at my interview so I was able to stand here with a dazed look on my face. I was getting frustrated; just as I was about to scream my cell rang, I walked over to it and when I checked the caller ID, I saw that it was Alice.

"Hey, Ali."

"Black pencil skirt, blue blouse- the long sleeve deep V neck one- and your black open toe pumps."

"Thanks, Ali. Anything else?"

"Nope, I'm sure you can figure out what jewelry you want to wear."

"Yeah, I can. Thanks so much, Ali."

"Anytime."

After hanging up the phone, I got out the clothes and went to get a shower. Once I was showered and dressed I went downstairs, I checked the time and figured that I had enough time to grab a late lunch and then head out to my interview. Jasper told me that I could borrow his red Dodge Viper, I grabbed the keys and then drove over to the house. Twenty minutes later I was pulling up the drive of a huge mansion, I parked my car and after taking a deep breath I got out of the car, walked up the steps and rang the doorbell.

A few minutes later the door opened to reveal who I thought was the butler

"May I help you?" the man asked me

"Yes, I'm Isabella Swan, I have an interview today for the live-in chef position."

"Ah yes, I was told to be expecting you. Please come on in."

He stepped aside and I walked in. He closed the door and asked me to follow him. We walked down a long hall and came to stop outside a door, the butler knocked and after a short wait the door opened and I nearly gasped at the sight of the person on the other side of the door. There standing on the other side of the door looking the same as the last time that I saw him, but additional glasses, was none other then Emmett McCarty. His eyes bugged out behind his glasses and I could see his Adam's apple bob in his throat.

"Master McCarty, this is Miss Isabella Swan, she is here for the chef interview," the butler interrupted our staring contest.

"Thank you, Demetri, I'll take it from here," Em replied. Demetri nodded his head and then left. Once Demetri was out of sight Em and I went back to our staring match. I knew that we couldn't keep this up all day so I cleared my throat and said "Mr. McCarty, thank you for taking the time to interview me for the role of chef."

He cleared his throat and then said, "You're welcome, Miss. Swan. Shall we head to the kitchen so that you can show me what you can do?"

"Gladly, Mr. McCarty"

He nodded his head and then led me down to the kitchen of a chef's dream. It was all dark wood and stainless steel. There was an island in the middle, a stove, dishwasher, huge double door fridge, microwave and lots of cabinets. There were also two sinks, one built in the island and the other beside the dishwasher. I asked Em to take a seat at the island and then I got to work whipping up a dish for him. He sat watching me as I worked, he didn't talk much, just asked a few questions of what I was adding to the dish.

As soon as I was done, I plated the meal and placed it in front of him, explained everything that was in the dish and then stepped over to the side of the kitchen and waited for him to finish eating. When he was done he motioned me back over and he asked me questions about my previous work and where I went to school. I answered the question as I would to any other employer, I tried to ignore the fact Em and I had history but it wasn't easy.

When I had my back turned I heard Em whisper "Is this how it's going to be between us now?" I sighed because I really didn't want to be so formal around Emmett anymore. If he was going to hire me we would be in close contact all the time. I slowly turned around, took a deep breath and said, "What happened was a long time ago, I don't want us to be so formal, I want to go back to the way that we used to be; as friends"

Em got up from his chair and walked around the island so that he was standing in front of me

"Bells, we never really talked about what happened that night and I think that we need to discuss that before we go any further."

I closed my eyes, I didn't want to talk about this but I knew that we needed to so that we could move forward. I opened my eyes and said, "Alright, Em, let's talk."

Em smiled and then said "Come on, let's go to my study, so that we can be more comfortable."

I nodded my head and he held out his hand for me to take, I hesitated for just a minute but I placed my hand in his. His big hand closed around my small one, and we began the walk back towards his study. When we were outside his door, he turned the doorknob and walked in. The room had a fireplace along one wall, a small bookshelf, a leather couch, a big wooden desk, and three chairs around the desk and I white plush carpet. Em led me over to the couch and we sat down, there was silence for awhile. My body was yearning for his touch again but my mind was screaming at me that first we needed to have this very long overdue conversation.

"Alright, Emmett, you brought me back here to talk, so let's talk." I didn't mean for my voice to sound so harsh but he did owe me an explanation.

"Bella, I owe you an explanation, I didn't mean to end up in bed with Tanya, it just happened."

I snorted and let my mind wander back to that day.

~flashback~

I had to work a double shift at the coffee house near the campus because Tanya Denali had called in sick. I didn't really mind because it meant more money for me but on the other hand it meant less time with Em. With finals, his football games and me working at the coffee house, we barely had any time together. I had just finished helping to clean up after we closed, I was in backroom collecting all my things, I had my cell in hand and decided to call Em to see if he wanted to spend some time together, his cell went straight to voicemail and so I left him a message letting him know that I was coming over.

After saying goodnight to Angela, Ben and James, I made my way out to my beat up red Chevy truck. I flung my backpack onto the seat and climbed in; my truck roared to life and I made the short drive to Em's house. Mr. and Mrs. McCarty were out of town but I knew where they kept the spare key, I let myself in and went up to Em's room; I figured that he was studying with the music blaring and that's why he didn't hear his phone.

Sure enough I heard music coming from his room, I turned the doorknob not bothering to knock because I knew that he wouldn't hear me, and walked in. I was in no way prepared for the sight that greeted me; how could one be anyways, there lying on the bed was my boyfriend of seven years and the blond bitch that I had to cover for at work tonight on top of him, naked. Em's hands were on her hips and hers were on his chest for leverage as she rode his cock.

I was pissed beyond belief, I picked up the closest thing to me and threw it at Tanya; when it made contact with her back, she whipped her head around and when she saw that it was me, who caught them, she smirked at me and turned her head back to face Em; who up until this point had his eyes closed. I didn't see what she did but I did see Em's eyes open, she pointed to where I was standing, Em's eyes followed her finger and when he saw me, his eyes got big and he tried to get Tanya off him. She didn't budge off of him, till she orgasmed then she rolled off of him, and wrapped the sheet around her. I was fuming and I didn't know why I was still standing here. Em was stuttering over an explanation but no matter what he said my anger rose

"You bastard,!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and then stormed out of room, ran down the stairs and out the front door. I could hear Em calling my name but I didn't turn around or respond. I wasn't ready to go home yet, so I went over to Ali's dorm, I needed someone to talk to and she was it.

When I got to Ali's, I was pleased to find that she was at her dorm. When she saw my face, she didn't say anything just took my hand and led me over to the couch and made me sit. Ali didn't ask questions just waited for me to speak, once I was ready to told her everything about what happened. She was angry at Em for doing that to me and threatened his life, I had to chuckle at her threat because as small as she was I knew that she would have tried to hurt him. I phoned my dad and told him that I was spending the night with Alice, he didn't mind. I was in no shape to drive, Ali let me have the couch.

Em and I had a screaming match a couple days later where nothing got resolved and, once finals were over, that summer I left for France, I didn't even bother to tell Em that I was leaving.

~end flashback~

"I think that we both owe each other an explanation, Em," I said.

"Well I don't think that you need to explain anything, its me that needs to do that"

"So what happened that night?"

"Well I was in pub down the street, just hanging with my buddies and having a couple of beers; missing you of course, when Tanya walked in. I remembered you telling me that you had to feel in for her, so when I saw her I walked over to her and asked what she was doing here is she was sick, she told me that she lied because she wanted a night off. I was pissed at that but I decided to let it go. I walked back over to the guys, and had a couple more drinks, I decided that because it was a Friday night and a long weekend at that, that I would indulge and drinking way to many beers. After awhile, I started to feel the effects of the beer, so I told the guys that I was going to walk back to our apt. Somehow as I was walking home, Tanya drove by me and offered to drive me home. The next thing I know its morning and I'm waking up naked next to Tanya without any memory of what happened."

"Oh Em" I shook my head, "Why didn't you ever tell me all of this?"

"You were mad, I was upset at everything and I guess that I never thought that what happened, happened. I mean it never crossed my mind that you would run off to France."

"I guess I should have called or email you but everytime my mind wandered to you, instead of thought of calling or emailing to see how you were it was thoughts of that night, how I felt not only the anger but also the hurt"

"Its ok Bells I understand" He said smiling at me

I smiled back and we talked for awhile longer but I need that I had to head home soon. By the time that I left I had a good feeling that Em and I were on our way back to being friends. When I got back to Ali and Jazz's place, I had only thirty minutes to change and have dinner started. I knew that they both would want to know how my interview went, and I would have to tell them. They wouldn't let me get away without telling. I wondered how they were going to react when they found out that it was Emmett's house.

When Jazz and Ali got home, we all had dinner and sure enough as soon as we were done eating the questions started.

"Ok, Bells, spill, how did the interview go?" Alice asked.

"I think it went great, I'll know in a few days if he is going to hire me or not."

"What's his name, darlin,'" Jasper asked

"Well... it's someone that we all know," I stuttered

"Who?" Ali asked impatiently.

"EmmettMcCarty," I mumbled quickly.

"You have gotta be kiddin' me," Jasper replied.

"I'm not, Jazz, just think how I felt when I saw who it was.!"

"Well, what happened?" Ali asked next.

"It was weird. We were so stiff around each other. I cooked for him and then as I was putting the dishes in the sink, he asked me if this was how we are going to be, meaning stiff around each other. I told him that I didn't want it to be this way, so we talked about what happened that day, about how Tanya seduced him and only slept with him to get back at me for coming out top of the class. Oh, plus also he has a child."

"How the hell did she seduce him?" Jasper asked clearly not believing Em's reason.

"And what do you mean he has a child?" Ali asked.

"From what I could gather, by getting him really drunk. Well from what Em told me was it turned out that she didn't wrap it before she stuck it in her, a couple of weeks later, Tanya told Em that she was pregnant. Unfortunately Tanya died in childbirth and now Em is a single father to a son."

"Oh my, how terrible. Did you meet his son? What's his name?" Ali asked

"No, I didn't meet him, his name is Dale."

"So what, are you guys friends now?" Jasper asked

"We are going to try, I think."

"Just be careful, darlin,'" Jasper replied.

"I will, Jazz, and I promise that if anything happens, that I will let you both know."

"You better," Ali said.

"I will, promise."

After that we cleaned up from dinner and decided to watch a movie. A couple of days later Em called me and told me that I had the job working for him. I was glad that I had finally gotten a job so that I would be able to pay Ali and Jazz, but I was still a little concerned about working in such close contact with Em. But there was no way that I was going to give up this job, I was sure that we would make it work and if not, well then I would just have to find something else.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I still own nothing just the plot. Pre-reader: Sarah Overby. Beta by: Corrupt Subduction

It's been six months since I've started working for Em. I'm so glad that Em and I are able to be friends and Dale is simply amazing; he is the cutest little boy that I've ever met. He's the spitting image of Em when he was younger, right down to the dimple smile. He enjoys playing jokes on others, loves to learn and says that he wants to be just like Em when he grows up-of course he probably will change his mind.

For the first couple of months, it was hard to work for Em. I didn't see him most of the day but living under the same roof as him was the most difficult. But eventually it got easier, and Em and I got along like we did growing up. Jazz and Ali had me check in with them every day but they weren't as concerned about me calling them after they saw that Em and I were getting along fine. I told them once that they were acting like my parents instead of my best friends and it only made them laugh.

I was starting to grow attached too Dale and there were times when we would play games before Dale went to bed-those times I felt like we were really a family. There were times that I hoped that Em and I would get back to the love that we once shared, Dale would accept me being in his life and that we really could be a family. I didn't keep my hopes up too high though because I didn't know if Em still felt that way for me any more.

As the days wore on, Em and I grew closer and we went out on some dates as well. Sometimes because of the long hours that Em held, some of the dates were in the kitchen or dining room after Dale had went to bed. We shared a couple of sweet and passionate kisses but we never let it go farther then that. Ali and Jazz also got back to liking Em when they would come over on the weekends. They feel in love with Dale just as quickly as I did, and I wasn't the only one that saw a younger Em in his features.

While out with Ali one day, she asked me how serious things with Em and I were getting, I told her that we weren't that serious, we just shared a few kisses and spent some nights cuddled on the couch watching movies. She seemed a little bummed that Em and I hadn't gone father, while I just laughed at her facial expression after my explanation. She then asked me if I thought that Em and I would ever get back together and if I wanted that. I was honest with her; I told her that I didn't know if I wanted to get back to the way that we used to be or not. As we continued on walking, shopping and talking my mind kept wandering to the possibility of Em and I together again, me being Dale's mom and the possibility of me bearing children that were Em's and mine.

It was a couple of days after my shopping trip with Ali. Dale, Em and I had just finished playing a game of 'Monopoly'. Dale was starting to fall asleep so, I told him that we would leave the game right where it was, and that we would complete it the next day. Dale agreed and as I was just about to walk into the kitchen with our snack dishes Dale called out to me.

"Bella?"

"Yes, Dale?"

"Would you come and tuck me in with daddy?"

"Sure, little man, come on."

I placed the dishes on the coffee table and took his little hand in mine; Em had his other hand and we walked upstairs to his room. While Em gave him a bath, I turned down his sheets and tidied up a bit. Twenty minutes later, Dale was tucked into bed and Em was reading a story to him.

"Bella, there is something that I need to tell you," Em said once we left Dale's room after he had fallen asleep

"What's wrong, Em?" I asked with concern.

"Bella, I love you. I never stopped loving you; the past six months were the best since you walked out. I can't keep this locked inside of me anymore."

"Em, I never stopped loving you either. I still loved you when I left."

"You know that Dale asked me if you are going to be his new mommy?"

"Did he really?"

"Yes, he really loves you, Bells, just as much as I do."

"And I love him as well"

Em moved closer to me so that I was pinned against the wall, he dipped his head and when he was an inch for my lips, he whispered, "can I kiss you?" I nodded my head. His lips touched mine and it was heaven. It felt like the first kiss that we had shared back when we were 16. Em moved his hand and wrapped it in my hair, and he pulled me closer to him, so that every inch of me was pressed up against him, and I could feel his erection growing. Em pulled back from the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine. We didn't speak just stared into each other's eyes as we waited for our breathing to go back to normal.

Em pulled back from me and held out his hand, I placed mine in it and he led me to his bedroom. He told me to sit on the bed and then he went over to his dresser, pulled open the third drawer and rifled through it, till he found what he was looking for. He walked back over to me and got down on one knee in front of me

"Isabella Swan, I've loved you since I first set eyes on you when we were 5. You were so cute with your hair in pigtails and your big brown eyes, that I knew I wanted you to be in my life forever. Of course when I was 5 I didn't really know what forever was. I promise to love you every day for the rest of my life. Will you do me the greatest of honors and marry me?"

"Yes Emmett McCarty, I will marry you! That day that our parents put us in the same sandbox to play and you pulled that joke on me, I knew that I wanted to be your friend. Our friendship turned to love and I couldn't have been happier, until this moment."

He smiled and presented me with a small black box. I opened it and inside was a gorgeous platinum ring that had three stones; the middle was a sapphire and on the sides were two diamonds. The sapphire reminded me of Em's eyes, only darker. I could feel the tears running down my cheeks as I gazed at the ring. Em took the box out of my hand, took the ring out and with his other hand, he picked up my left hand and placed the ring on my finger. He then kissed my hand and looked up at me; I smiled and then kissed his lips. I held up my hand so that I could admire it, and when the light caught it, it sparkled.

I couldn't wait to show Ali my ring and to let Dale know that I was going to marry his daddy.

Em entwined his hands with mine, and moved so that his lips were touching mine again. With his body, he gently pushed me down, so that I was lying on the bed and he was hovering over me. His eyes searched mine waiting to see if he would find rejection in them, but I knew that he wouldn't find any, I wanted this with him. Em gave me a smile, and then kissed my lips. I knew that this wasn't going to be fast, it was going to be slow and sensual. Clothes were removed and flung to the floor, our hands and lips were exploring each others bodies with each reveal of skin.

When Em entered me, if felt like the first time that we made love all over again. Even though we had done this many times before, tonight everything seemed new tonight. I think that Em felt that way as well because his movements were slow and tentative as well. We came together and once we came down from our high, we laid wrapped in each others arms, still connected. I could feel sleep trying to drag me under its spell. I nudged Em and we got up to shower together. We didn't make love again but we didn't pass up an opportunity to kiss every inch of exposed skin again.

When we were both clean, Em dried me off and then we both climbed into bed once we were dressed in our pajamas. Em wrapped his strong arm around my stomach and after placing a kiss in my hair. He whispered good night and told me that he loved me. I replied and let sleep take me off to dreamland, where visions of me walking down the aisle to an awaiting Em played out behind my closed eyelids.

The next morning, I was up and dressed before Em. Em had a day off I and I wanted to have a talk with Dale without Em around, so I had plans on taking him to the local park. I knew that Em wouldn't mind because I had taken Dale different places before. I made Dale's favorite breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes in the shape of dinosaurs and rockets. Soon I could hear Dale on the stairs and I could tell that he was running down them. He came running into the kitchen and skidded to a halt beside the island.

"Morning, Bella."

"Morning, Dale. Did you sleep well?"

"Yep, I did. Are those dinosaurs and rockets pancakes?"

"Yep, all ready to be eaten by you."

"Yay!" He ran over to his chair and got himself seated. I plated his food, and then helped him to add butter and syrup. I sat down in the chair beside him and said, "Want to go to the park after breakfast?"

"Yes please, Bella," he said around a mouthful of pancakes. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he looked at me sheepishly and said he was sorry. Once I accepted his apology, I went to fix a plate for Em because I could hear him coming down the stairs. Em walked into the kitchen and ruffled Dale's hair while saying good morning to him. Dale flattened his hair and after replying to Em, he went back to eating. I placed Em's breakfast in front of him, he thanked me and then I went to get my breakfast.

I asked Em if it was ok that I take Dale to the park and he told me that it was fine, so after breakfast was over, Dale ran to get ready with Em hot on his trail. I placed all the dishes in the dishwasher and then went up to my room to get my cell and some money as well as my ID and car keys. I passed Em and he placed a kiss on my lips and told me to have fun. I went to Dale's room and knocked on his door. He opened it and I asked him if he was ready to go, he told me that he was so I took his hand in mine and we walked down the stairs to my car, and after strapping him, in I drove us to the park.

"Hey, Dale?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"I was wondering if we could talk about something."

"Sure Bella, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was wondering, how would you feel if your daddy and I were to get married?"

He was quiet for a few minutes, I looked over at him out of the corner of my eye and saw that he was really giving this some thought, I could see his brow furrowed.

"I would like that a lot, Bella," he said after a few minutes "I think that you would make a great mommy and I know that my daddy loves you a lot."

"So you wouldn't mind then?"

"No, I wouldn't. I love you, Bella, and I know that you would be a great mommy."

I had tears brimming in my eyes. I tried to hold them back till we were parked. We were stopped at a red light, I looked over to Dale and said to him, "Well Dale, your daddy asked me to marry him last night and I agreed."

"Yay!" he said with a huge smile on his face and clapped his hands.

We continued our way to the park and once we got there, spent a good hour playing. On the drive home, Dale asked if we could stop for ice cream, I told him that we could. When we did get home, Em met us in the hallway.

"Hey, guys. Have fun?"

"Yes, daddy, we did. Bella and I talked too" Dale told him.

Em crouched down so that he was somewhat level with Dale and said, "Oh, what did you talk about?"

"Bella told me that you asked her to marry you. She wanted to know if it was alright with me."

"Is it alright with you, little man?"

"Yes, daddy, I love Bella and I want her to be my mommy and for you to be happy."

"I'm glad for that, Dale." Em beamed and wrapped Dale in a hug and whispered that he loved him. Em then looked up at me and smiled and mouthed that he loved me, I told him that I loved him as well, and had to wipe away the tears that were starting to fall down my face.

I went to my room, so that I could start making the phone calls to let everyone know about the wedding. I started with Ali first and ended with dad. Everyone was happy for us that we were able to get over a bump in our relationship. Everyone kept saying that this will only make us stronger and I had to agree with that. Ali, of course, wanted to design my wedding dress and I told her that she could. She squealed and gave the phone to Jazz so that she could get started on the dress. Jasper and I just laughed and talked for awhile.

I knew that this was going to be a great wedding and I couldn't wait to start making plans with Em and Dale. I had an idea of where I wanted to have the wedding, and I had a feeling that Em would agree with me for the location.

A/N: So a wedding is in their future, how exciting. Of course seeing how Alice is designing the dress its going to be beautiful. Thanks to all of you that have favorite this story and me as well as putting it on story alert. The last chapter is with my beta and should have it back by tomorrow or the next day. *waves* until next time.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I still own nothing just the plot. Pre-reader: Sarah Overby. Beta by: Corrupt Subduction

Wedding planning was in full swing. When Em asked me where I wanted to get married, I told him at the La Push reservation on First Beach; it was were Em and I had our first date, I thought that it would be a great place to get married and Em did as well. Ali was a little put out when she found out that we were going to be married on the beach but after promising her that I would agree to having some sort of aisle put down, she went on with the plans that she had for my dress as well as the bridesmaid, matron of honor dress and the flower girl dresses.. When I asked to see the design for my dress, she practically bit my head off; she told me that I would see the dress when it was made and not before.

When my friend Jay found out that I was getting married, he asked to cater it for me and I told him that I wouldn't want anyone else to do it. I knew that the food was in good hands as long as he was overlooking the entire process. I decided to have a flower arch way for Em and I to stand under, a rose petal lined walkway leading up to Em and the minister and white chairs with a blue ribbon tied around them. Angela wanted to make the cake and when she asked me what I wanted, I told her that we wanted a chocolate cake and that the design was up to her.

The only thing that I really had to do besides show up to my own wedding was pick what flowers I wanted to carry because the reception was going to be at the lodge in Forks. I flipped through many magazines and also went to a couple of florist shops but it wasn't till I was looking online that I found my bouquet; a deep red rose bouquet with a piece of red satin wrapped around the stems. After that that was picked out, all that I had to do, was wait for the day of the wedding to arrive.

Em's birthday was coming up and he said that he had a surprise in store for me. When I told him that he had it backwards, that it was him that was supposed to be surprised seeing as how it's his birthday, he just laughed and went to call his mother. It turns out that the surprise that he had in store was a weekend getaway for just the two of us. Dale was going to be spending the weekend with Esme and Carlisle, and he couldn't have been happier, he loved spending time at Carlisle and Esme's house, and who can blame him? I mean even when Em and I were kids; we enjoyed playing at Em's house more than mine.

I asked Em where we were going and he told me that I would find out, when we got there. I told him that wasn't helpful for me seeing as how I didn't know what to pack. He just laughed and said that was the whole point, as he was going to pack for me. I just shook my head at him, not saying anything because I knew that no matter what I said, he wouldn't give up where we were going. I had a feeling that he was even going to blindfold me when we got closer to our destination. On Friday night, we had our evening family game night and once we put Dale to bed, Em took our bags out to his car and then we went up to his... I mean our room; yeah that's going to take me awhile to get used to that, I mean we hadn't shared a room for a couple of years now.

When morning light broke, we got Dale up and while Em was helping to get him dressed, I went downstairs to get breakfast made. As soon as breakfast was over with, we all piled out to the car, strapped Dale in and then took off for Carlisle and Esme's house. Dale couldn't stop bouncing in his seat. When we arrived at the house, as soon as we stopped Dale took off running towards Esme, who was waiting for us on the porch. I saw Esme bend down so that Dale could wrap his arms around her. Once he let her go, he went running into the house.

Esme came down to the car and as soon as I stepped out of the car, Esme wrapped her arms around me and whispered that she was glad that I was back in Em's life. We chatted for a bit, she asked how the wedding planning and about where we were going. I could only answer her first question, and she was pleased that everything was going well. She asked me what I still need to get done, and I told her that there was the dress fittings, getting the flowers ordered and making sure that everything was going to go well with the lodge for the reception. Esme questioned me about who my bridesmaids were and I told her that Alice was my matron of honor, and Rosalie; who was Alice's cousin, I've known Rose since middle school when her and her brother Edward along with their parents moved to Forks, to get away from big city life for awhile, and one of my friends from cooking school, Jane, were my bridesmaids.

We talked a little more but Em said to Esme that we had to leave. She was a little sad but I knew she would forget about Em and I as soon as she got into the house and would begin to spoil Dale. I was sure that he was going to be hyper when Em and I got back. As we were pulling out, I turned around in my seat and saw that Carlisle and Dale had joined Esme on the porch to see us off. I waved till we were out of sight and then I turned around in my seat and began to get excited.

I was never one for surprises but I was starting to get excited about this trip. Every once in awhile I asked Em where we were going, but he wouldn't relent. I even tried to get Em to give me hints, so that I could try and guess but he wouldn't play along. We made a couple of stops, to gas up or get something to eat. It was starting to get dark and I asked Em if we were going to get a hotel or motel and start again in the morning, and he informed me that, that was exactly what we were going to do.

It wasn't long till we found a hotel. Em booked a room for the night and after dinner and a swim, we ordered a movie and just snuggled on the couch till we fell asleep. I woke up in the middle of the night and after much prodding, I got Em awake and we walked to the bedroom and fell back asleep, fully clothed. Come morning light, we got up, changed our clothes, had breakfast in the dinning room and then after checking out, we made our way back to the car and resumed our road trip.

"Hey, Em," I called to him after awhile.

"Yes, sweetheart?" he answered while looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

"I was wondering something…"

"Oh, that's never good," he said with a chuckle,

"Haha, very funny, mister."

"I thought so. Anyway, what is it that you were wondering?"

"Well, I know that it's still early in our second go around at this, but I was wondering, do you want to have more kids or is Dale enough for you?"

He was silent for a few minutes and I wondered if I was wrong in asking him. When I was about to tell him to not worry about my question, he spoke,

"Well before you came back into my life, I didn't want to have any more kids because I was unsure if I would ever find the right woman or if I was going to be a single father for the rest of Dale's life. But now that you are in my life again, yes, I would want to have another child with you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I would like to try and have a little girl this time around."

"I would like that as well, Em," I said with a smile.

We were silent again but it wasn't uncomfortable. All I could think about was the possibility that there could be a little girl that looked like me with touches of Em running around, Dale chasing after her, protecting her from the bullies. It was a great image that my brain had drawn up. I hadn't realized I dozed off till I felt the car stop. I opened my eyes and looked around, but I didn't recognize the place.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"At an all exclusive spa in the mountains."

I looked out my window and saw the sign that read "Mountaintop Wonder Spa." I could see the mountains off into the distance, an enclosed paddock that had horses galloping around in it, and a pool off to the side. The spa itself was a huge bungalow, with tons of windows that let the sun in. It was amazing and I couldn't wait to see the inside of it. I unlocked my seatbelt and leaned across the center console so that I could kiss Em. "Thanks Em, this is great." He beamed at me, kissed me back and then we got out. Em went to get our stuff and I waited for him by the front of the car. Once the luggage was out of the trunk, Em walked over to me, and I took my suitcase in one hand and took Em's hand in the other and we walked into the spa.

The spa was amazing, Em had thought of everything. There was a couple's massage, horseback riding lessons, every imaginable massage available for me to relax with as well as mud baths, manis and pedis, and swimming. But the one thing that I enjoyed the most was the endless amount of time that Em and I had together. It was nice. When Em's birthday came, the spa had fixed up a lovely supper and even had a small cake for him. They gave him two passes to come back for another weekend as a gift but I think that he enjoyed Dale's and mine more. When Dale found out that Em and I wouldn't be home for Em's birthday, Dale came to talk to me and asked me to give Em his gift. I asked him why he didn't want to wait and he said that because birthday gifts should be given on your birthday, not before or after.

Dale then passed me a flat box that was already wrapped, and then ran out of the kitchen to go and play. I had to chuckle at his wisdom at his age as well as his easiness to go back to being the little boy that he was. He was definitely Em's son. What the gift turned out to be was a gold pocket watch that had #1 Dad inscribed on it. I could see the tears in Em's eyes but he didn't want to cry in front of everyone, but I had a feeling that when we were back in our room, he would let those tears fall. We both knew that either Carlisle or Esme helped him to get this and Em now knew where all of his allowance had gone. My gift to Em was key ring that had "Together Forever" on it; the two O's were done as wedding rings. He placed a kiss on my lips and thanked me saying that nothing would break us apart again.

It was a week away from the wedding and I was finally going to see my wedding dress. Ali had already shown me the bridesmaid dresses flower girl dress as well as her matron of honor dress. The bridesmaid's dresses were all simple light blue, with fabric scrunching around the middle. Em had the day off from work so I was going to Ali's house to see my dress. I placed a kiss on both Dale and Em's foreheads; they were playing 'Mario Kart' on the Wii. I told them that I would see them both later and just as I got to the door, there was a knock. I answered it to see Jasper standing there

"Hey, Jazz."

"Hey, Darlin'."

"What's up?"

"Well, Ali doesn't want me around when you see your dress."

"Why? It's not like I'm marrying you" I teased him

"True, well we could have gotten married if ya didn't fall in love with Em and me with Ali; we do have a lot in common after all." he teases back, a grin on his face, "I don't know why she wants me out of the house though."

"Yeah, I think that we would have made a great couple too Jazz. Come on in, the boys are in the den playing Mario Kart."

"At least we still get to be the best of friends."

"We are not the best of friends, Jazz," I said, and I could see the hurt in his eyes, but before he could say anything I continued, "We are family. You are my brother and always will be." He smiled upon hearing that.

"Yes, we are family, Darlin', and always will be."

I smiled and then moved to the side so that Jazz could enter. He placed a kiss on my cheek, told me that he loved me and then headed towards the den. I made my way out to my old beat up red truck and drove over to Ali's place. Thirty minutes later, I pulled up to Ali and Jazz's place. I wasn't even fully parked yet and Ali was already at the driver's side door, bouncing. When I was parked, she yanked open the door and practically dragged me out of the truck.

"Ali, please leave the arm in tack. I need it for cooking and the wedding." I said while laughing

"Oh please, Bella, I didn't pull you that hard and you know it." she said with a giggle. I stuck my tongue out at her and then gave her a hug and let her pull me into the house, to her design room.

"Now sit and keep your eyes closed, Bella," Ali said while pointing me into a chair.

I did as I was told, and while I was waiting, I could hear doors being opened, hangers being moved and a zipper being pulled down and then a few minutes later, Ali told me that I could open my eyes. When I did, Ali was standing next to a mannequin with the most gorgeous dress that I've ever seen. It was a floor length dress, strapless sweetheart neckline, and the bodice had a beaded design of flowers. Ali told me that it was made out of chiffon. I sat on the chair not saying anything because I was in awe of how beautiful it was.

"Well?" Ali asked me.

"I can't believe that you made this. It's absolutely beautiful"

"So do you like it?"

"Like it? Are you mad? You can't like this dress, you have to love it!"

Ali beamed and told me to come and try it on. I did and it fit me like a glove. Ali wouldn't have to fix anything on the dress. When I saw myself in the mirror, I couldn't believe that it was me standing there. Once Ali made sure that everything was right with it, she told me to take it off. We talked for the rest of the afternoon, ordering in lunch. Ali couldn't stop gushing at how beautiful I looked and how great the wedding was going to be. I told her that in time, it was going to be her turn to go through all of this and she just laughed and told me that she couldn't wait for Jazz to pop the question. Of course that response started a whole new discussion and it wasn't till Jazz came home that I realized that it was nightfall. I said goodnight to Ali and Jazz and drove back home. For the next couple of days, I did nothing but make sure that everything was perfect.

Finally, it was my wedding day and I was both nervous and excited. I was at my friend Emily's house getting ready because her's was one of the closest to the beach; Em was at our friend Jacob's house with Jasper, getting ready. I was sitting on a chair in front of Emily's mirror getting my hair done by her, when my parents walked in. Mom was first and as soon as she saw me when I stood up, she started to cry. Dad was next and I must say, he looked very handsome in the black suit he was wearing. They gave me my 'something blue and something old'- it was Grandmother Marie's comb that they replaced the fake stones with real sapphires. I told them that it was too much but they said that seeing how it was my wedding day, I was allowed to be spoiled. I thanked them both, and Emily took the comb from my dad and placed it in my hair. Ali came then and said that it was time to get my dress on. I hugged my parents and once they were gone, Ali and Emily helped me into my dress.

When I was dressed Jane, Rose and Ali all went to get dressed while Emily did my makeup. Before I knew it, my dad was back, telling me that it was time. I hugged the girls and then one by one, they walked out of Emily's house and down to the beach. Dad came in and asked me if I was sure that I wanted to go through with this, I told him that I was and after placing a kiss on my cheek he held out his arm for me to take and we walked out of the house and towards the beach.

The beach looked absolutely beautiful. The chairs were on either side of the makeshift aisle, and there were flower petals scattered across the aisle. I let my eyes travel up the aisle, and there standing there at the end of the aisle looking as handsome as ever under the flower archway was my Emmett. I smiled hugely at him, which he returned. Charlie and I continued our walk up the aisle and when we reached Em, Jasper and Minister Weber, dad turned to me, placed a kiss on my cheek over my veil and placed my hand in Em's. Em and I then turned to face Minister Weber.

"We are gathered here today to witness the joining of these two people." Minister Weber began, "Who gives this woman to this man?"

"Her mother and I do." Charlie responded. Minister Weber nodded his head and then Charlie went to sit next to Sue Clearwater.

"The joining of two people in holy matrimony is something that is not to be taken lightly. If there is anyone present here today that believes that these two people shouldn't be joined, then let them speak now or forever hold their peace." Minister Weber looked out at the crowd of people and when no one responded he said, "Can I have the rings, please?" Dale then held out the pillow with the rings on them, the Minister thanked Dale and then took the rings, turned to Em and said,

"Emmett, please take this ring and repeat after me. I, Emmett McCarty, take you, Isabella Swan, to be my wedded wife, in sickness and in health, in the good times and the bad, in sickness and in health, till death do us part."

Em nodded his head, took the ring and repeated Minister Weber's words.

"I, Emmett McCarty, take you, Isabella Swan, to be my wedded wife, in sickness and in health, in the good times and the bad, till death do us part" Em then slipped the ring onto my finger and kissed the back of my hand.

Minister Weber then took Em's band and turned to me saying, "Isabella, I would like for you to take Emmett's band and repeat the same words that he did, only reverse the names." I nodded my head and after taking the band, I took Em's hand in mine and repeated the vows.

"I, Isabella Swan, take you, Emmett McCarty, to be my wedded husband, in sickness and in health, in the good times and the bad, till death do us part." I then placed his band on his finger and then waited for Minister Weber to speak again.

"In the state of Washington and in the face of God, I now pronounce you man and wife; you may now kiss your bride."

He then stepped back and Em smiled at me, lifting my veil and moving his head closer to mine. His lips touched mine in a soft kiss, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepening the kiss. We only pulled apart when we heard the crowd erupted into applause. We turned to look at everyone gathered and smiled; I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes waiting to fall.

The wedding was amazing; I couldn't believe that I was finally Mrs. Emmett McCarty. We walked down the aisle in a shower of rice and well wishes; thankfully, I didn't trip. We went to the waiting limo that would take us to the lodge. We had to wait till everyone else was there before we could make our entrance. I don't think that I would ever get tired of being called Mrs. McCarty.

The reception was fun just the way that Em and I wanted it to be. Dale was running around chasing after Jacob's daughter, Renesmee; Dale looked so handsome in his little ring bearer suit and Nessie looked like a little doll in her dark blue flower girl dress. Em and I's first dance was to Clint Black and Lisa Heartman Black's "I do." It was a great song, one that we picked out together.

Speeches were said, food was eaten and Ali was the one that caught my bouquet. Soon though, Dale was getting tired, and Em and I had to get ready to leave for our honeymoon. Em had booked a seven day cruise for us. We said goodbye to everyone, left Dale in the care of Carlisle and Esme and then made our way out to the limo under another shower of rice. Our luggage was already packed and in the limo, so after saying goodbye to everyone again and sharing another kiss to the roar of the crowd, we climbed into the limo and drove off for the airport. I waved till we were out of sight and then curled up next to Em in the backseat.

"Are you happy, sweetheart?" Em asked me.

"I couldn't be happier, Emmy bear."

He smiled and then placed a kiss on my lips. We settled back into our seats and made the drive to the airport in comfortable silence. It was true, I couldn't be happier in that moment. I was married to the man that I've loved since childhood and we would be starting a whole new life together. Life was good.


End file.
